Bent hat-trick gives Black Cats win

Darren Bent chose the perfect moment to score his first hat-trick for Sunderland in the 4-0 home win over Bolton, with owner Ellis Short on Wearside to check on his investment.

The #10million striker lifted the pressure on the Black Cats and manager Steve Bruce with a well-taken treble which helped lift the club six points clear of the relegation zone.

Bolton were the fall guys on a night when the home side ended their wait for a league win at the 15th attempt, a run which dated back to November 21 last year.

Fraizer Campbell set the ball rolling after just 44 seconds with his first league goal for the club, but Bent took over after the break as he extended his personal tally for the season to 19, to the delight of a crowd of 36,087.

He struck after 64 minutes, from the penalty spot after 74 following defender Sam Ricketts' dismissal for a second bookable offence, and then again two minutes from time, and that for a team which had previously scored just two goals in six games.

Sunderland were ahead with less than a minute on the clock when Campbell latched on to Lorik Cana's looping cross and guided it past Jussi Jaaskelainen from point-blank range.

They doubled their lead when Lee Cattermole slid Bent in to fire past Jaaskelainen and the game was over when Ricketts, who had been booked for a first-half foul on Jones, barged Bent to the ground inside the box and was yellow-carded for a second time.

Bent comprehensively beat Jaaskelainen from the spot to seal a precious victory, and his third, a neat finish from Campbell's 88th-minute cross, was just reward for a good night's work.